Degrees of Monstrosity | Lavinia Thompson | Substack

Welcome to Degrees of Monstrosity!

Start here for an intro to my publications!

Mar 2, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

Beyond Cover

Beyond Cover: Chapter 4

Dwayne and Emily are investigating the murder when they are summoned to a meeting with a notorious mob leader.

Jan 13 • Lavinia Thompson

Beyond Cover: Chapter 3

Scrambling after the murder of a fence, Emily and Dwayne seek help from a colleague and reevaluate their tactics.

Dec 30, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

Broken Flashbacks and Whiskey (Dec. 2025)

Looking back on 2025, looking ahead to 2026. Lots to come!

Dec 27, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

Beyond Cover: Chapter 2

Is Emily's premonition paranoia or will the meeting with a jumpy Russian mobster go as bad as she believes?

Dec 16, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

Beyond Cover: Chapter 1

High tension, an upcoming meeting, and a premonition...

Dec 2, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

Beyond Dark

Broken Flashbacks and Whiskey (Dec. 2025)

Looking back on 2025, looking ahead to 2026. Lots to come!

Dec 27, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

Back to it: new writing schedule, book updates, and a ramble.

Back to discussing female killers, a new serialized story, and a rant about mental health.

Nov 28, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

Writing Schedule Changes

Taking a break, making some changes, soon to make a comeback

Oct 16, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

Recommendations

Hatching Stories

Hatching Stories

E. H. Lau

The Uncurated Life

The Uncurated Life

Leonard Tillerman

Do Some Damage

Steve Weddle

Cold Caller Magazine

Cold Caller Magazine

Cold Caller Magazine

SOCIAL MEDIA ESCAPE CLUB

SOCIAL MEDIA ESCAPE CLUB

Seth Werkheiser

true crime

On the Case: True Crime Recap (Jan. 9, 2026)

A Christmas murder results in a woman's arrest; Courtney Clenney trial to go ahead this spring; Kouri Richins' defense on a PR rally; "From the Past…

Jan 9 • Lavinia Thompson

Courtney Clenney: Bail denied again, judge denies request to dismiss charges. Trial to go ahead in spring 2026.

Could a case that has seen several delays finally see a trial this year?

Jan 9 • Lavinia Thompson

From the Past: JR, the Runaway Devil (part 1)

A triple homicide in a small Alberta city sends shockwaves across Canada when it comes to light a 12-year old girl and her boyfriend murdered her family…

Jan 7 • Lavinia Thompson

Newsletters

On the Case: True Crime Recaps

A newsletter exclusive to my true crime content. I write about the different types of female killers, their psychology, updates on current cases, deep dives on them when they conclude, and more. This newsletter goes out every second Friday with recaps of the cases we are currently following and any other updates.

Broken Flashbacks and Whiskey

My writerly ramblings, book news, excerpts, personal posts, and more. For those of you interested in only my book content and not my true crime stuff, you can subscribe to this newsletter instead of getting everything in your inbox.

Dangerous Daughters

Dangerous Daughters (part 4): Dangerously Antisocial Offenders (Adolescent)

An exploration of young girls who become killers. What causes a personality so devoid of empathy or remorse at such a young age?

Dec 24, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

Dangerous Daughters (part 3): Severely Mentally Ill Offenders

When a daughter's mental illness leads her to murdering her parents, whether she is in her right mind or not. How does it come to this?

Oct 8, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

Dangerous Daughters (part 2): Severely Abused Child

When an abused child, alone and desperate, is pushed to the edge from which they cannot come back, what is the final push?

Sep 17, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

Dangerous Daughters (part 1): What is parricide?

An introduction to daughters who kill and why they do it.

Sep 10, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

The Case Files

The Case Files: Carly Gregg (part 2)

An analysis of her mental diagnosis, conviction, and appeal. Did this case get rushed? Did she get a fair trial or did it leave more questions than…

Dec 21, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

Case Files: Carly Gregg (part 1)

A teenage girl murders her mother and shoots her stepdad seemingly out of nowhere. Was it a cold, calculated murder, or was Carly plagued by an…

Dec 10, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

The Case Files: Joanne Zephir

On Mother's Day 2022, a woman forced her two daughters to drink bleach, then strangled one to death as the other fled. Was Zephir cursed or seeking…

May 22, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

The Case Files: Julissa Thaler

The boy failed by the system, and the father who tried to save him from the sadistic mother hell-bent on keeping her son at all costs - even if it meant…

Apr 23, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

From the past

From the Past: JR, the Runaway Devil (part 1)

A triple homicide in a small Alberta city sends shockwaves across Canada when it comes to light a 12-year old girl and her boyfriend murdered her family…

Jan 7 • Lavinia Thompson

From the Past: Bresha Meadows

She shot and killed her dad as he slept. Would the legal system believe her when she claimed she did it to save her family from his sadistic abuse?

Oct 1, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

From the Past: Susan Smith (part 7)

In the final look at this case, we review her trial, the aftermath of her crimes, her life behind bars, and her 2024 parole hearing.

Sep 3, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

From the Past: Susan Smith (part 6)

A look at her confession and arrest, reactions from David and others, and how police pressured the young mother to admitting she murdered her own kids.

Aug 27, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

From the Past: Susan Smith (part 5)

The investigation into two missing South Carolina boys ramps up as police suspicion silently falls upon their mother.

Aug 20, 2025 • Lavinia Thompson

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